DHS awards $200K to San Diego aerosystems company for final testing of sUAS proficiency

Planck Aerosystems, Inc. has secured a $200,000 Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) award to test its small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) in operational settings.

The award is part of S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) in partnership with Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“S&T is looking for technologies to enhance the efficacy of CBP patrols while simultaneously increasing the safety of patrolling agents,” SVIP Managing Director Melissa Oh said. “We look forward to the ways Planck will further refine its technology in support of this homeland security mission.”

The San Diego, Calif., company’s system capability enables an sUAS to launch from and land on the bed of a moving vehicle, in addition to providing fully autonomous navigation coupled with a securing mechanism, advanced computer vision capabilities, and customized communications interfaces.

Planck officials said the goal is to provide CBP agents with a portable, ruggedized detection system providing real-time situational awareness in the field via a combination of integrated technologies, including full-motion video, automatic target detection, and geolocation.

Companies participating in the SVIP are eligible for up to $800,000 of non-dilutive funding over four phases to adapt commercial technologies for homeland security use cases. In the fourth phase of SVIP, Planck’s focus would be functional usability improvements, such as improving user interfaces and increasing nighttime functionality.